


It's a Matter of Interpretation

by starryeyedsea



Category: Toki o Kakeru Shoujo | The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 19:48:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/141106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedsea/pseuds/starryeyedsea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She knows the painting is important.  She just hasn't quite found out how it is important to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's a Matter of Interpretation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sixpences](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sixpences/gifts).



Makoto is there on the first day when the painting is put on display. She stands at the spot for the longest time and just stares at it, trying to memorize and dig into every last detail of the painting. She spends in ordinate amounts of time thinking about the colors, the woman in the painting, and what the four circles could possibly be. She wanted to understand what other people saw in it, because she hadn’t quite figured out what she saw in It herself. It isn’t long before she notices her aunt approaches her.

“This really captivates you, doesn’t it?” she asked.

“I don’t understand it,” Makoto said.

“What?” her aunt asked.

“I don’t understand what is so special about this painting. You said it was calming, and Chiaki came all the way from the future to see it. But I don’t get it,” Makoto said, “the only reason I think it is special is because of you and Chiaki. I don’t see any meaning in it for myself.”

“Do you need it to have more?”

Makoto puzzles over this for a moment.

“I don’t know. I would like to see it the way that you see it, or that Chiaki would see it, but maybe I am too simple to understand.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” her aunt said, “you couldn’t possibly see it the way I would see it or Chiaki would see it.”

“Why?”

“Because you have to see it the way Makoto would see it,” she said, “there may only be a few valid interpretations of this painting, but it is up to each of us to give art its meaning. What this painting means to me, and what it means to Chiaki, are different, and the same will be said for you. It could be the only meaning you can find in it is that it reminds you of your friend. That is nothing to feel bad about it.”

“But isn’t there supposed to be more? More depth or something?”

“Maybe, but you will have to find that for yourself. I can’t give it to you.”

Makoto nods, even though she isn’t quite satisfied with the answer.

“I made the decision I was going to fulfill the promise I made to myself, that I would no longer run from my future I decided since this painting was kind of in its own way the source of that, I wanted to know what it means, I feel like if I knew that then it could help me.”

“I am sure it will,” her aunt replied, “but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I think you’ll be just fine.”

* * *

 

Makoto is nervous as she sits in the office. It was one thing to decide to make plans for the future, it was another to take actual steps. Knowing what you were going to do, doesn’t make something any less hard. Like committing to an academic major.

Her teacher is sitting there across from, letting the question just hang in the air. He wants her to declare right then and there, and Makoto thinks it is silly that she I letting the pressure get to her. Didn’t she already make the decision? She shouldn’t go second guessing herself now. It was just one word.

“So Konno, what’ll it be? Arts or sciences?”

“Um, it’s going to be sciences,” and she can feel the stress leave her body, who knew one little thing could be so stressful.

“I see.”

She looks at the teacher and begins to second guess herself, even though this wasn’t exactly a think that had a right and wrong decision. She can’t help herself from asking him.

“Did I make the wrong decision?”

Her teacher’s face was a bit perplexed at the question but then he gave a slight smile.

“No, it is just you better work on your math scores, otherwise you will have a pretty tough time. Now go, I have other students to see after all.”

She nods.

“Right, thank you Sensei!”

She gets up to leave and makes a beeline for the door.

“Oh Konno. One more thing.”

She stops at the door and looks back at him.

“It’s good you made the decision, just remember to follow through. Be confident.”

Makoto smiles and leaves.

Ok the path was set, and now she just has to follow it.

“So sciences, eh?” Yuri asks her later, “I have to say I thought you would go with the arts.”

“Why would you say that?” Makoto said, “yeah I might not be the best in math but I am still pretty okay. But why did you think I would pick art?”

“Because, you have spending an awfully lot of time at the art museum. I know your aunt works there, but you seemed to be going there more often.”

“Oh, well that isn’t really anything. There is just this painting.”

“A painting?”

“Yeah, my aunt restored this painting, and it is really pretty and I want to understand what it means, I think this means I would be terrible in art. I can’t even come up with a meaning for a simple painting.”

Yuri doesn’t really have an answer to that, but she ends up giving Makoto a few words of encouragement anyways.

* * *

Makoto had been so careful to set her alarm before she went to bed, but inevitably she missed the alarm and was instead waking up to her sister tugging on her sleeve.

It wouldn’t have been so bad if it hadn’t been for the fact that today was the day she would be taking the university entrance exam. The one thing that she had spent months and weeks getting ready for. There had been a lot that she given up for it. Instead of playing baseball, Kousuke and her would meet at the library or his or her home to study. She hadn’t really had any time at all to do anything else. It was just eat, sleep, and cram, Makoto really didn’t know if she could call it studying anymore.

And she had to just forgot about the painting for a bit, even though it still nagged at her all the time, but there was not enough brain space. Just numbers and formulas and words and knowledge. All in the vain hope that she would actually be able to use it when the exam finally came.

It wasn’t looking like a very good start.

“MIyuki! Why didn’t my alarm go off!”

“Because you forgot to switch the switch to turn it on,” her sister said matter factly, “you aren’t going to jump out the window are you, you haven’t even taken the test yet!”

Makoto glares at her, but then quickly gets back to the business at hand. She had almost 30 minutes less time to get ready to take this exam. This was not a fortuitous start to the day.

She scrambled to get the clothes she had laid out the night before on, and when she went down to the kitchen she blew through her breakfast, and did not stick around long enough to hear her parents and sister wish her luck.

She felt like a fool, wasn’t this the thing she had tried to avoid doing since time leapt. She had tried to be more conscious of her time and use it wisely, but she still sometimes slipped. Of course, why she had to slip back into bad habits today of all days was just plain bad luck. And lack of care when setting alarms apparently.

She did however manage to arrive with five minutes to spare, although she was stuck more towards the back of the room. Makoto took a deep breath.

And she didn’t actually begin to breathe deeply until she actually started the test.

Upon finishing, she instinctively left for the art museum. She hadn’t really thought about what she would do once the test was over, but the art museum seemed to be as good an idea as any. Once there she headed straight for the painting. She hadn’t even really thought about it, because it was something she did often. But today, with the stress of the test and waking up late, she needed to see it.

Which was odd because the painting had been an absolute puzzle, but today it felt constant and it calmed her. Her aunt had said it was painted during a very chaotic time and it had a calming influence. Makoto didn’t really know whether this had to do with its meaning, but staring at the painting she did feel a bit better. Maybe her aunt was right, there were probably a few good interpretations and Makoto probably could figure them out with more time. But what the painting actually meant was a bit deeper and much more personal.

That said, she still had absolutely no idea of what it meant though.

* * *

 

The snow was just coming down as Makoto arrived and began to can the lists, looking for her test number. It had seemed like ages since she had taken the exam. Even though she had for the most part tried to not to focus on the possible outcomes too much, it had always been something that was constantly at the back of her mind. She hadn’t quite known what she would do if she didn’t get in.

On the other hand she was still not entirely sure what she would do if she did either.

She had gotten a text earlier from Kousuke and of course genius that he was, he had gotten into Tokyo, not that Makoto ever really doubted that he would, of all her friends, Kousuke had always been the most assured of future success.

She tried to focus hard on the lists, determined not to miss her number if it was there. She almost did, as everything began to run together after awhile, but sure enough she stopped and went back up a few lines and there it was.

 _She had gotten in._

She froze for a few moments, the weight of this new information beared down and she didn’t quite know what to feel at the moment. She had done it! Even though plenty of the students around her were jumping for joy and celebrating their own success. Makoto just stood there and stared ahead.

It was only a few moments later, when she was finally able to get herself to move from her spot that she began to text everyone her good news. Yuri and Kousuke both texted instantly back with their congratulations, and Kousuke even invited her to meet him later to celebrate. She instinctively texted him back to agree though she knew she should probably check with her parents first. But Makoto felt strangely okay. With the weight of the exams and university off her it suddenly felt like she all the time in the world. In a true genuine way, not the way it was when she had the ability to time leap.

It felt like she had been frozen in months, just preparing for the future to happen, but today it had finally happened.

She began to walk home, still browsing through her messages on her phone, and returning texts to other friends who had gotten in or hadn’t. She wasn’t really looking where she was going until she found herself suddenly felt two hands on her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks.

“Hey, watch where you’re going.”

Makoto froze. The voice was not angry or irritated as one would think, but soft and even a bit bemused, and for Makoto, it was just a bit too familiar.

She didn’t know if she was surprised or not when she looked up at saw Chiaki’s face. (He looked a bit older and his hair was different, but he still looked like Chiaki.)

She started to speak but he stopped her.

“Didn’t I tell you to watch where you’re going. You were really going to hurt yourself if I hadn’t have stopped you,” he said, his grin just a bit too smug for Makoto’s taste.

The line was enough that any of her shock instantly evaporated and she began to grumble to herself.

“I knew where I was going,” she said, not even trying to hide her irritation..

He didn’t reply, but looked at her phone.

“You were texting, you sometimes get clumsy and careless but I never expected you to become one of those people who is always on your phone.”

“I am not, it was just, I got into university today,” she said.

“Really? What university would take you?”

“Not funny. You come back after all this time and that is all you have to say?!” she said and turned away and pretended to pout. She knew he was joking, but she wanted to play with him for a bit.

“You know I was only joking,” he said, “I am glad you got in.”

She turned and gave a small smile.

“I am not running anymore. From the future that is. That is what I decided when you left.”

He smiled.

“I am not doing it for you,” she continued, “so don’t get too full of yourself. I have plans now. Big plans.”

“What are you going to do? Save the world?”

“Probably not, but either way there is something I have to do first,” she said.

“And what is that?”

“I have to figure out a painting. And you’re going to help me.”

And with a simple ease that is surprising to both of them, she takes his hand and begins to lead him towards the museum and towards the painting.

* * *

Her aunt finds Makoto at the painting. Makoto says nothing as her aunt stops beside her.

“So did you figure it out?”

Makoto turns and stares at her.

“I think so,” Makoto said, “but I think it sounds very silly.”

“I am sure it isn’t,” her aunt said, “so what do you think the painting means?”

“I don’t know if I know what it means, but I know how it makes me feel,” Makoto said. She pauses, because she wanted to get the words right, this was really the first time she would put it into words, “I never really liked change, I still don’t, and I know everything in my life has been changing. With school and my friends. You said this was painted in a time of great chaos and unrest. I think I get that, because the painting over the past few months was really constant and calming. It reminded me that even as things change there are constants. I guess I needed that reminder. I think in a way this painting is what got me into university. Sounds crazy doesn’t it?”

“Not really, I think it makes perfect sense” her aunt said.

Makoto smiled, and took one last glimpse at the painting, it was the end of a chapter in a way, now she could move on and find the next puzzle in her life.


End file.
